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Corn growers have mixed response to 2016 budget

President Barack Obama signed the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill and, while the National Corn Growers Association has found fault with it, its leadership was happy the U.S. will be brought into compliance with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Country of Origin Labeling (COOL).

“Notably, corn farmers are pleased the Congress included language bringing the United States back into compliance with our WTO obligation by repealing COOL for beef and pork," NCGA President Chip Bowling said. "U.S. livestock accounted for more than 38 percent of demand for our corn in 2015, and it is important that we will avoid the negative impacts on that and other corn markets which retaliation by Mexico and Canada would have brought about.

“Yet, overall, Congress placed great importance on further bolstering Big Oil at the expense of taking up issues of great importance for America’s farm families. From failing to preempt the pending patchwork of state-level GMO labeling laws to refusing to prohibit funding of Water of the U.S. implementation, rural America will face a darker new year as the future grows even brighter for oil industry interests. Of the provisions Congress chose to leave out of this bill, those which will be most detrimental to U.S. farmers include: the aforementioned GMO labeling and WOTUS provisions; language which would have provided relief in the ethanol sector by fixing the Reid Vapor Pressure standards; and funding for the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program.”

America’s farmers did find Congressional support in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes bill, which outlines a $650 billion tax package.